242 w/ sye or 231w/ sye

[01blkxj]

Hi there fellow Members I was wondering if it is worth buying an sye and xj front drive shaft for a 242 or look for a 231 with it already installed thanks in advance

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[Jim Malcolm]

What is your intended usage for your XJ? Do you get snow where you live?

If your primary usage is offroading, get a 231. It's physically smaller, cheaper to upgrade and has more aftermarket accessories, such as skid plates, available on the market.

On the flip side, the NP242 is a great transfer case. Take all of the functionality of a NP231 and add gear-driven AWD. You'll have to pry the 242 from my cold, dead hands. I put close to 100 bone dry miles on my XJ this weekend in AWD; no need to shift it in and out. Great for wet grass, wet boat launches and dirt driveways while towing ~3k lbs. Awesome in the snow, just put it in gear and leave it, if you want... Only downside is, it will go to 1wd, so you need to remember to put it into 4PT before encountering one of those situations...

Either route you go, the SYE kits with the replacement rear shaft, pure beef, and replacing the shifter linkage with "ball joints" and removing the shifter pawl inside the vehicle are the way to go... As for me, heading back out here shortly to finish my week of R&R and no devices :cheers:

 

[75SV1]

Basically, what Jim Malcolm said. I am trying to replace the 231 with a 241. Mainly for snow. Intermittent patches of ice etc. I am rebuilding a 241. Also, depends on funds. The 241 SYE kit cost a lot more than the 231's. I am planning a Hack-n-Tap. I did that to a 231. I used a front drive shaft. You need at least 4.5 lift to use the front drive shaft. There are custom length driveshaft available.

 

[camojeep88]

I have the 242 and never had an issue with it both in dirt and ice. I agree the 231 has more options and the sye is cheaper but I went with tom woods kit which at the time was 500 for the kit including the drive shaft. replacing the shift linkage is a must though for the 4wd shifter. I finally did it and it makes a world of difference for shifting in and out or just pulling the trans.